When I survey - Roger's July 2020 eNews

The “wondrous cross” stands at the climax of history, as the greatest act of love and worship the universe has ever seen.  Here was God the Creator himself, taking on human form, offering himself as penalty for all the sins of the world, all we’ve ever done and ever will do.  “This is love; not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).

Friends, the Cross was not a mistake, a failure, a bad thing happening to a good man.  From the beginning of time the Cross was meant to be.  When God created human beings in his image, to have a relationship of the choice of love and with him, he knew that at some point in history (his-story) that he would have to buy us back by paying the ultimate price.  “It is finished” was a cry of victory, where the creator of the universe, the lover of our souls, is saying: “Your life matters this much to me!  Job done!”

So, from Genesis words of him "crushing the serpents head", through Messianic Psalms including “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, and Isaiah’s suffering servant who “bore our suffering” as “the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all”, we see the love-song emerging.  God was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to himself, doing for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. 

Do we want to see what human sin has done to God – look at the cross!

Do we want to know how much God loves us – look at the cross!

Isaac Watt’s words “When I survey the wondrous cross” compel us to not just pass it by as another event in history.  We are to keep the message and reality of the cross before us, beside us and behind us, for without the cross there would be no Bible, no Resurrection, no Pentecost - in fact - no hope!  It’s now an empty cross, for he is risen, but the crucifix imagery reminds us of our terms of reference and acceptance with the living God and our certain hope for the future.  “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life my all.”

So, we offer you another of our “lockdown” efforts, as the CMM office staff (Amy, Annie, Helen, Mary, Tim and myself) re-produce one of my early hymn tunes.  May it bless you and draw you closer to Jesus and into his love!

Yours in Jesus,

Roger

PS.  Many thanks to those of you who were able to help us financially after receiving our previous eNews.

(The sheet music arrangement and our other recordings of “When I survey” come from “Saints Alive!” and also in the “Roger Jones Hymn Collection”.)